Coin controlled vending apparatus with platform descending for article ejection



Sept. 29, 1970 s. E. SANBORN 3,530,969

COIN CONTROLLED VENDING APPARATUS WITH PLATFORM DESCENDING FOR ARTICLE EJECTION Filed Aug. 2, 1968 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 mvam'oa A 60200142 SANEOBIV l f ATTORNEYS Sept. 29, 1970 e. E. SANBORN 3,530,969

COIN CONTROLLED VENDING APPARATUS WITH PLATFORM DESCENDING FOR ARTICLE EJECTION Fi led Aug. 2, 1968 I Sheets-Sheet Z h gj K z 8% 70, ,re ,8? n 95 5/, ,13 f 46- f/G ,5 I4

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COIN CONTROLLED VENDING APPARATUS WITH PLATFORM DESCENDING FOR ARTICLE EJECTION v 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug. 2, 196a F x I F 2 GT4: ,5: i

96 g/ Q /25 55 I: l 84 IOI I 5 99 45 62 xi 47 59 5- O I I, I, as 9 I v I 83 l 26 ":70 72 7/ I NVE NTOR United States Patent Office Patented Sept. 29, 1970 3,530,969 COIN CONTROLLED VENDING APPARATUS WITH PLATFORM DESCENDING FOR ARTICLE EJECTION Gordon E. Sanborn, deceased, late of Coquitlam, BI'ltISlI Columbia, Canada, by Dorothy L. Sanborn, executrlx, 2834 W. 41st Ave., Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Filed Aug. 2, 1968, Ser. No. 749,835

Int. Cl. G07f 11/00 U.S. Cl. 194-63 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Vending apparatus having an article carrying platform from which articles are ejected by a manually operated fore and aft movable ejection member and a coin carrying disc operably connected to the ejection member for rotation therewith to move an obstructing member which normally prevents ejective movement of said ejection member.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a coin controlled vending apparatus which employs very few operational parts and which is therefore compact and relatively inexpensive to manufacture and maintain.

The apparatus of the present invention is, by virtue of its simplicity, almost proof against damage due to rough usage and yet is easily operated by individuals of tender age. The vending apparatus of the present invention comprises a cabinet in which a supporting frame is mounted, an article carrying platform mounted in the frame for movement between elevated and lowered positions, an article ejection member swingably mounted in the frame for fore and aft movement, said member being positioned so as to eject an article carried by the platform when swung to its most advanced position, an operating rod connected to the ejection member for operating the latter, a platform supporting member operably connected to the ejection member for lowering and lifting the platformvin conjunction with fore and aft movements, respectively, of said ejection member and mechanism for controlling the movement of the ejection member towards its advanced position, said mechanism including a movable obstructing member positioned a predetermined distance in advance of the ejection member for preventing movement of the latter to its advanced position, a coin carrying disc having a plurality of hollow coin receiving pockets mounted for rotation in the frame, said disc being positioned so as to enable a coin carried in a pocket thereof to be moved into engagement with the obstructing member so as to move the latter out of the path of the ejection member and connecting means operably connecting the disc and ejection member for rotating the disc sufficiently to permit a coin carried thereby to move the obstructing member before the ejection member moves said predetermined distance so as to permit the latter to move to its most advanced position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTON OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an isometric View of the apparatus with the cabinet thereof partially cut away for purposes of clarity,

FIG. 2 is a partial side view of a portion of the apparatus at the commencement of a vending cycle,

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of a portion of the apparatus taken along line 33 of FIG. 2,

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional end view of a portion of the apparatus taken along line 44 of FIG. 2,

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view taken along line 55 of FIG. 4,

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 4,

FIG. 7 is an isometric view of the coin guide,

FIG. 8 is another side view similar to FIG. 2, showing the relative positions of the operating mechanism partially through a vending cycle, and

FIG. 9 is 'a side view similar to FIG. 18, showing the relative positions of the operating mechanism at the termination of a vending cycle.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings and particularly to FIG. 1 there is illustrated a vending machine 10 arranged to vend varied articles of substantialy the same size. This vending machine comprises a two-part casing 11 having an upper cylindrical drum 12, the latter having a flattened front face 13 and a bottom plate 14, said bottom plate having a longitudinally extending aperture 15 formed therein adjacent the front face 13 of the drum, said slot being a little longer and wider than the articles tobe vended.

Inside the drum is rotatably mounted a magazine 16. This magazine comprises a supporting core to which are secured, in complementary pairs, a plurality of radially extending plates 18, each pair of plates being spaced apart a distance a little greater than the width of the article to be vended and being a little longer than said article so as to permit vertical stacking of said articles therebetween. Connected to the outer edge of one of each of the pairs of plates is an operating tab 19 which, when a pair of said plates are arranged at the front face 13 of the drum, extends through a longitudinal slot 20 formed therein. These operating tabs 19 permit the magazine 16 to be rotated within the drum so as to position any selected stack of articles over the aperture 15 in the bottom plate 14.

The drum 12 is also provided with a hinged cover 21 to permit filling of the magazine 16 with the articles to be dispensed, said cover being provided with a suitable locking mechanism, not shown, to prohibit unauthorized access to the magazine.

The casing also includes a vending mechanism housing 25 which is secured to and supports the drum 12. This housing is of strong metallic construction having a flat front wall 26, the latter being provided with an opening 28 below the slot 20 through which the articles are ejected, as hereinafter explained. This housing has also formed in its front wall, a vertical coin receiving opening 29.

Mounted within the housing 25 immediately behind the opening 28 is a longitudinally extending, upwardly-opening open ended trough 32. This trough has a bottom or supporting wall 33 in which is formed a rearwardly-opening centrally located longitudinally extending slot 35-. This bottom wall 33 is also provided with a centrally located hole 34 beneath which an elongated sleeve 38 extends.

This trough serves as a guide for an elongated platform 40, the latter being mounted on the upper end of a vertically extending pin 41, the latter slidably extending through the hole 34 and sleeve 38 and having a laterally extending lower end portion 43. The thickness of the -platform and length of the pin 41, are such that when the platform is elevated to its highest position with the lower end portion 43 of the pin 41 against the sleeve 38, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the upper surface of the platform lies flush with the upper surface of the bottom plate 14 of the drum 12 while with the platform 40 in its lowest position, as illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9, the upper surface of said platform will be spaced below plate 14 a distance a little greater than the thickness of the article to be vended.

A supporting framework 45 including a vertical supporting plate 46 is mounted inside the housing 25, and mounted for swingable movement on said supporting plate, is a combined platform supporting and article ejection member 47. This member is T-shaped having an elongated article ejection arm or member 49 disposed in a substantially vertical position and being pivotally secured as by a pin or bolt 50 at its lower end 51 to the supporting plate 46, so as to be swingable in a fore and aft direction. This arm 49 is aligned with and is of lesser width than the slot 35 in the trough 32 so as to be swingable thereinto, clear the bottom plate 14.

Rigidly connected to the arm 49 and laterally extending therefrom at approximately its middle length, is a platform supporting arm or member 55. This supporting arm extends forwardly beneath the lower end portion 43 of the pin 41 to support the platform in its most elevated position. When the arm 49 is swung forwardly, the supporting arm 55 will be lowered permitting the platform to descend so as to position an article to be ejected in front of the opening 28. At the same time, the arm 49 will move through the slot 35 to engage the article and eject the latter through the opening 28. During this movement, the upper end of the arm 49 will also swing beneath the article second from the bottom and support the latter above the platform when the lowermost article is withdrawn through the opening 28.

Movement of the arm 49 is effected by an elongated operating rod 59 connected at one end 60 to said arm 49 and slidably extending at its other end 62 through a suitably located hole in the front wall 26 of the housing. Ad-

jacent its end 60 the rod is provided with an enlarged shoulder 63, and a compression spring 65 is inserted under compression between said shoulder and the front wall 26 of the housing urging the arm 49 to its most rearward position as shown in FIG. 2. A knob 66 is suitably secured at the end 62 of the operating rod to permit the latter to be moved against the action of the spring 65. Forward movement of the arm 49 is limited by its engagement with the platform 40 and the engagement of the arm 55 with the lower end 43 of the pin 41, when the latter is moved upwardly against the sleeve as illustrated in FIG. 2, limits the rearward movement of the arm 49.

Movement of the arm 49 from its most rearward to its most advanced position is controlled through the mediacy of a coin mechanism accorded the numeral 70. This mechanism comprises a thin coin carrying disc 71 which is formed of a pair of circular plates 72 sandwiching between them a plate 73 having a plurality of shallow semicircular notches 75 formed in its peripheral edge. The plate 73 is illustrated as having four such notches formed therein spaced equidistantly apart. The plates 72 and 73 are suitably secured together as by welding, said disc 71 thereby being provided with four equidistantly spaced apart, shallow peripheral pockets of a size calculated to receive a coin 77 of a diameter selected such that when it is dropped into any one of the pockets, it will extend outwardly beyond the periphery of said disc. The coin carrying disc 71 is rotatably mounted on a stub shaft 78 secured to the supporting plate 46.

Also mounted on the stub shaft 78 adjacent one side of the coin carrying disc 71, is a pawl or ratchet ring 80'. This pawl ring is formed having four equidistantly spaced apart peripheral notches 83, any one of them being engageable by a spring-urged pawl 84-secured tothe'dise 71, said pawl 84 being arranged so that when in engage ment with a notch 83 the disc 71 will be non-rotatably locked to pawl ring 80 for mutual rotation only in the direction as shown by the arrow 85, in FIG. 2. Rotation of the coin disc 71 in a direction opposite to the direction as shown by arrow 85 is prevented by meansof the action of a pawl or ratchet ring 87 non-rotatably secured to the stub shaft 78 adjacent the side of the coin carrying disc opposite the pawl ring 80. This pawl ring 87 is also provided with four equidistantly spaced notches 88 which are engageable in turn by a spring-urged dog 89 carried on the coin disc 71.

An elongated push rod 91 operatively connects the arm 49 and the pawl ring 80, the connection providing for a quarter turn of said pawl ring 80 in the direction as indicated by the arrow 85 when the arm 49 is moved from its most rearward position, as illustrated in FIG. 2, to its most advanced position, as illustrated in FIG. 9.

Pivotally mounted at approximately its middle length on the supporting plate 46 is an elongated fore and aft extending arm-like obstructing member 95. This obstructing member extends in a substantially horizontal position, its forward end 96 extending over and in line with the coin carrying disc 71, said forward end 96 being continually urged towards the peripheral edge of the coin carrying disc by the provision of a tension spring 97 connected between said obstructing member 95 and the supporting plate 46. The after end 99 of the obstructing member, when the forward end 96 is slidably engaged with the coin disc, extends in the path of and is spaced a predetermined distance forwardly of a laterally projecting stop 101 secured to the arm 49. The relative position of this obstructing member, disc 71 and arm 49, when the disc 71 is not carrying a coin is illustrated in FIG. 2 of the drawings.

Mounted between the coin carrying disc 71 and the coin opening 29 in the front wall 26 of the housing, is a coin guide 102. This coin guide is arranged to guide a coin inserted into the opening 29 into one of the pockets in the coin carrying disc when the coin operating mechanism 70 is positioned at the start of a vending cycle with the arm 49 in its most rearward position as illustrated in FIG. 2 so that when the operating rod 59 is pulled,

the coin carrying disc 71 will be rotated to move the coin into engagement with the forward end 96 of the obstructing member 95, pivoting the latter agains the action of the spring 97 to move the after end 99 out of the path of the stop 101 and permit the arm 49 to be swung forwardly, and eject the article to be vended as hereinbefore described.

In order to provide for effective ejection of the article to be vended when a coin of proper size is inserted in the coin receiving opening 29 and to prevent the ejection of an article when the coin carrying disc is empty or carries a coin of improper size, the after end 99 of the obstructing member 95, when the mechanism 70 is arranged at the start of its vending cycle as shown ,in FIG. 2, must be spaced ahead of the stop 101 a distance sufiicient only to permit rotation of the disc from the position at the start of a vending cycle to a position in which the coin engages and lifts the forward end of the obstructing member 95, to lower the after end 99 out of the path of the stop 101. The distance travelled by the coin to elfect this movement of the obstructing member must, of course, be necessarily less than a quarter turn of the coin carrying disc 71 to permit movement of the arm 49 to its advanced position after the forward end 96 of said obstructing member has been moved out of the path of the stop 101.

The operation of the vending machine may be best described with reference to FIGS. 2, 8 and 9. In FIG. 2, the coin operating mechanism 70 is illustrated, as hereinbefore indicated, in its position at the start of a vending cycle. In this position, the forward end of the obstructing member 95 slidably rests on the peripheral edge of the coin carrying disc 71, and the after end 99 thereof is spaced forwardly of and in the path of the stop 101. Upon movement of the arm 49 forwardly by means of the operating rod 59, the coin carrying disc is rotated to a position as illustrated in FIG. 8 wherein the coin is just moved beneath the forward end of the obstructing member to pivotally move the latter just before the stop is moved into engagement with its after end 99, thereby lowering said after end out of the path of the stop 101. At the same time the supporting arm 55 will belowered, allowing the platform to descend to its lowermost position and presenting the article to be ejected to the upper end of the arm 49. The movement of the obstructing member out of the path of the stop will thereby permit the arm to move forwardly to its most advanced position as shown in FIG. 9 so as to engage the article carried on the platform and eject the latter out of opening 20 in the housing 25. Continued movement of the arm forwardly will also result in continued rotation of the coin carrying disc which will move the coin forwardly and out of engagement with the forward end 96 of the obstructing member. Upon release to the operating rod 59, the spring 65 will return the arm 49 to its most rearward position and permit the obstructingmcmber 95 to again slidably contact the periphery of the coin carrying disc 71, thereby placing the coin operating mechanism 70 and arm 49 in condition to commence another vending cycle.

Continued operation of the mechanism through successive vending cycles will result in continued rotation of the coin carrying disc 71 in the direction as indicated by the arrow 85, the coins carried by the disc dropping one by one out of its pockets as said pockets reach an inverted position. Chutes and the like, not shown, may be employed to guide the coins to a suitable receptacle, not shown.

To prevent the operation of the vending machine with coins of improper size, the coin guide 102 as illustrated in FIG. 7, is formed in the manner in which coins of less than a predetermined diameter will be automatically ejected before they reach the coin operating disc 71. This coin guide is formed as a downwardly inclined chute arranged to guide the coin to be used in an upright position into the pockets in the coin disc, and has a vertically elongated C-shaped cross sectional configuration having a vertical side wall 103, an upper U-shaped section 104 and lower U-shaped section 105. The base of the lower section is inclined downwardly and outwardly from said side wall and the distance between the upper and lower sections is suflicient to permit a coin ofv predetermined diameter to slidably fit therebetween. The slight downward inclination of the lower section results in the coin being supported at its edge adjacent the side wall 103. A coin supported on its edge will be unbalanced in the direction towards the open side of the coin carrying guide. A coin of proper diameter will be retained within the guide by the upper section 104. A coin of smaller diameter, however, will not so be retained within the coin guide and will fall outwardly and laterally away therefrom. Rejected coins may be guided by any suitable means back to the customer.

What is claimed is:

1. Vending apparatus comprising a supporting frame, an article carrying platform mounted in the frame for movement between elevated and lowered positions, an article ejection member swingable mounted in the frame for fore and aft movement, said member being positioned so as to eject an article carried by the platform when swung to its most advanced position, an operating rod connected to the ejection member for operating the latter, a platform supporting member operably connected to the ejection member for lowering and lifting the platform in conjunction with fore and aft movements, respectively, of said ejection member, and mechanism for controlling the movement of the ejection member towards its advanced position, said mechanism including, a movable obstructing member positioned a predetermined distance in advance of and normally in the path of the ejection member for preventing movement of the latter to its advanced position, a coin carrying disc having a plurality of shallow coin receiving pockets mounted for rotation in the frame, said disc being positioned so as to enable a coin in a pocket thereof to be moved into engagement with the obstructing member and move the latter out of the path of the ejection member, and connecting means operably connecting the disc and ejection member for rotating the disc sufficiently to permit a coin carried thereby to move the obstructing member before the ejection member moves said predetermined distance so as to permit the latter to move to its most advance position.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the connecting means comprise a circular ratchet arranged for rotation alongside the disc, a push rod connecting the ejection member and ratchet for rotating the latter as the ejection member is moved and a dog on the disc engaging the ratchet for rotating the disc in one direction when the ejection member is moved forwardly towards its advanced position.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 including means for preventing rotation of the disc when the ejection member is returned from its advanced position.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 including a cabinet having a front wall positioned in front of said platform, said front 'Wall having an aperture formed therein which the platform faces when the later is lowered to its lowermost position in order to permit the article carried on the platform to be ejected by the ejection member.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which the obstructing member comprises a fore and aft extending arm pivotally mounted intermediately of its length on the frame, said arm having its forward end slidably engaging the periphery of the disc and its after end confronting the ejection member.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the ejection member comprises an elongated arm swingably mounted at a lower end on the frame for oscillatory movement about a horizontal axis and in which said supporting member comprises an elongated arm extending forwardly and laterally from the ejector arm having its forward end positioned beneath the platform so as to lower and lift the latter when the ejection arm is swung forwardly and rearwardly respectively.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,128,180 8/1935 Du Grenier 194-63 STANLEY TOLLBERG, Primary Examiner 

